North Karelia

as a travel destination

North Karelia as a travel destination

North Karelia is the easternmost province in Finland. Joensuu is the
biggest city in North Karelia with 75 000 inhabitants.
Province’s other cities are Kitee, Lieksa, Nurmes and Outokumpu. In
addition to these North Karelia consists nine other municipalities:
Heinävesi, Ilomantsi, Juuka, Kontiolahti, Liperi, Polvijärvi, Rääkkylä, Tohmajärvi
and Valtimo. There are approximately 165 000 inhabitants in North Karelia. Total area is 21 585 km² and there are 2200 lakes, from
which lake Pielinen is the 4th largest lake in Finland. North Karelia
shares 302 kilometers of border with Russia. There are about 1.5 million
border crossings at Niirala’s border crossing each year.

EU’s
easternmost point is located in lake Virmajärvi at Hattuvaara village in
Ilomantsi. Lumber, wood, food, plastic, metal, stone, and travel are
region’s leading industrial fields. North Karelia is known for its forests and forestry.
European Forest Institute, University of Eastern Finland and Karelia University of Applied Sciences are located in Joensuu.

Joensuu sub-regionThe Joensuu sub-region consists of two cities; Joensuu and Outokumpu, and six municipalities; Juuka, Kontiolahti, Polvijärvi, Liperi, Ilomantsi and Heinävesi. The region’s biggest musical event is the rock festival ‘Ilosaarirock’ which is held annually in the festival stage ‘Laulurinne’ in Joensuu. Outokumpu’s old mine and mining museum lets you familiarize yourself with what the mine workers’ lives used to be like.

Pielinen Karelia
Pielinen Karelia consists of two cities; Lieksa and Nurmes, and municipality of Valtimo. Koli's magnificent landscapes and clear waters of lake Pielinen invite you to visit the wilderness and relax in Pielinen Karelia.

Central KareliaCentral Karelia is a regional district in Finland made up of the municipality of Kitee and the districts of Rääkkylä and Tohmajärvi. Central Karelia is designated as a sub-region of North Karelia and is located about an hour’s drive from Joensuu and Savonlinna. The beautiful nature and crystal clear lakes of Central Karelia attract visitors - who get to enjoy the local hospitality while they're at it.

Accessibility

You can fly from the great cities of Europe, Asia or USA to the peace and quiet of Karelia. International flights arrive to Helsinki and there are good connections from Helsinki to Joensuu. It´s possible to rent a car for example from the Joensuu airport or Joensuu Railway Station and there is also a daily shuttle taxi connection from Joensuu to Koli (please, book a rental car or a shuttle taxi connection in advance).